Is this the most incredible hotel to open this year?
By CNN Staff • Updated 6th October 2014
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China's string of amazing hotel openings continues next month with the completion of the Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing.
Due to open in mid-November, the eye-catching 97-meter-high luxury hotel has 21 floors filled with 306 guestrooms and suites.
It's designed by Shanghai Huadu Architect Design Co. and sits on the shore of Yanqi Lake, about 60 kilometers from Beijing's city center.
Behind the design
Though "traditional" is the last word that comes to mind when looking at the orb-like structure, there are a number of classic Chinese elements at play.
For one, it was designed to look like a rising sun, which designers say is symbolic of China's fast-growing economy.
The entrance to the Sunrise Kempinski is shaped like the mouth of a fish, symbolizing prosperity.
From a side angle, the hotel takes on the appearance of a scallop, which represents fortune in Chinese culture.
Spanning 18,075 square meters, the exterior glass surface is covered by more than 10,000 glass panels.
The panels are angled so that the top portion of the building reflects the color of the sky, the middle reflects nearby Yanshan Mountain and the bottom section reflects the lake.
At night, the hotel is lit up by hydroelectric-powered LED lights.
Glass panels on the Kempinski Sunrise Hotel reflect the nearby mountains, sky and lake.
Kempinski Hotels S.A
"We had an international team (of designers) because we needed a critical view from people outside of China to give their opinion on modern contemporary Chinese architectural design and to enable us to broaden our ideas on how we can use our design to showcase the Chinese culture to the world," said chief designer Zhang Hai Ao in a statement.
Interiors were designed by U.S.-based DiLeonardo Design.
The entire complex in which Sunrise Kempinski sits takes up 14 square kilometers -- it's the brand's largest property in China.
Aside from the main hotel there are an additional 111 rooms at the Yanqi Hotel and another 178 spread across 12 boutique hotels on a nearby private island.
The complex has 14 restaurants and bars, two spas, a private marina, pagoda, recreational and fitness facilities and a kids club.
The company says it took 24 months to build with help from more than 9,300 construction workers.
China now renowned for amazing hotel architecture
The Sunrise Kempinski is just the latest in a long line of incredible hotels to open in China in recent years.
Arguably the most notable of the lot is the horseshoe-shaped Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort, which attracted global attention when it opened in August 2013.
Just more than 100 meters high and 116 meters wide, it covers an area of 75 acres with a total floor area of 95,000 square meters.
Designed by Beijing-based architect Ma Yansong of MAD architects, it's made up of "layers" of floors to create a ring that rises from the south bank of Huzhou's Taihu Lake.
Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing18, Jia, Yanshui Road, Yanqi Lake, Huairou District, Beijing; +86 10696 18888; special opening rate from CNY 1,138 ($185) per night
